what the hell _does_ a vegan eat anyway?

Dinner 11/25 (Thanksgiving)

First Course

Granny Smith Apple Salad
(mixed field greens, cubed granny smith apples, dried cherries, balsamic vinagrette)

Mushroom Pate

Homemade French Bread

Second Course

White Bean and Porcini Soup

Third Course

Butternut Squash Ravioli*
(w/ sage butter)

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Braised Brussel Sprouts

Cranberry-Orange Compote

Dessert

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheescake**
(topped w/ whipped cream and raspberries)

Coffee


* we made these about 11 am, and ended up with enough extra dough/filling to freeze another three dozen. I'd forgotten how fun (and easy) it is to make ravioli. Once you get the dough down to setting number 5 on the pasta rollers, these just float like little clouds on your tounge (yes, a BDJ moment from Iron Chef). Ethereal.

** this was the second best cheescake Liz has ever made (only behind the espresso bean cheescake over there in the left hand column). The cheesecake was made with pumpkin puree, tofu and a bit of Silk Nog in place of the heavy cream. Cooked in a bain-marie, there was minimal cracking, but the top was filled in w/ a chocolate ganache, so you wouldn't have seen it anyway. The filling had exactly the right texture (creamy, yet firm -- not rubbery at all) and the taste was all Thanksgiving spices of nutmeg, cinnamon and pumpkin in the right proportion.